Disneyland’s creation of Pixar Pier is part of its efforts to touch the emotions of its guests

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Artist rendering of a portion of the new Pixar Pier under construction at Disney California Adventure, provided by Walt Disney Imagineering March 8, 2018.

Artist rendering provided by Walt Disney Imagineering of the upcoming changes to the new Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction. Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, the Orange County Register, at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA.

Angry Dogs quick service restaurant, to be located on the Pixar Promenade. Artist rendering provided by Walt Disney Imagineering of the upcoming changes to the new Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction. Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, the Orange County Register, at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA.

Artist rendering of the new Incredicoaster designed for the new Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure

Model of the revamped Lamplight Lounge by Walt Disney Imagineering, part of the upcoming changes to the new Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction. This two-story family lounge will replace the shuttered Cove Bar and Ariel’s Grotto. Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, the Orange County Register, at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA.

Artist rendering provided by Walt Disney Imagineering of the upcoming changes to the new Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction.

Artist rendering provided by Walt Disney Imagineering of the new Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats store, part of the Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction. Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, the Orange County Register, at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA.

Artist rendering of the new Bing Bong Confectionary shop provided by Walt Disney Imagineering of the upcoming changes to the new Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction. Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, the Orange County Register, at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA.

Artist rendering of the new Poultry Palace quick service restaurant, provided by Walt Disney Imagineering, part of the upcoming changes to the new Pixar Pier development at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, as of March 8, 2018. The pier is still under construction. (Disneyâ¢Pixar)

What do you want to do when you visit Disneyland or any other theme park? Go on rides? Eat? Meet characters? Whichever of these reasons you think is luring you to the parks, there’s a strong chance that something else is steering you there, instead.

Disney invited me to spend some time with its Imagineers and park managers over the weekend, to talk about the new Pixar-themed attractions that the company is debuting this spring and summer at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I’ve spoken to many theme park designers over the years, and it always fascinates me how much more attention they seem to give to what visitors are feeling or thinking over what they’re actually doing while in the park.

This might seem backward. After all, visiting a theme park is supposed to be an activity. It’s not like sitting at home watching TV, reading a book, or even going out to a movie. Theme parks are something you do, not watch. You don’t have to think about them.

But doing a park isn’t a chore like doing the dishes or cleaning the garage. (At least, it shouldn’t be.) No one is forcing you to go. So if theme parks are going to entice people not just to come to the parks, but to want to spend a whole lot of money to do so, their designers need to find a way to make people crave those trips and want to come back again and again.

That means designing to trigger people’s emotions. Anyone with the money can buy a roller coaster or spinner ride and set it up in a parking lot. Disney and Universal make billions at their theme parks because they’ve elevated what some might dismiss as carnivals into emotional playgrounds.

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I suppose this isn’t much different from other forms of entertainment. No great author sets out to “write a book.” You want to tell a story and engage your readers. The medium isn’t the message. It’s just another tool to trigger a desired emotional response from people you want to become satisfied customers and loyal fans.

“I really want everyone who is in our audience to know that they can be a hero, or a superhero,” Tom Vazzana, Show Director, Disney Parks Live Entertainment said during the press event, describing a new “Incredibles”-themed dance party his team is developing for Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. “Whether you are male or female, undecided, in a wheelchair … I don’t care who you are, I want you to go away from this party knowing that you have some sort of superpower.”

This also is why “and something goes terribly wrong” has become one of the leading tropes in theme park attraction narratives. “It has to,” Universal Creative designer Thierry Coup told me in an interview many years ago. “It gives us a chance to be heroes, and to try to save the day.”

People want better – better lives, better relationships, better communities, and a better world. Theme parks win customers when they can play to that.

Creating a theme park is an exercise in emotional manipulation. Some of us go along willingly, embracing the role play and pretending to be whomever the parks want us to be. For others, the influence happens subconsciously. We don’t know we are supposed to be “honorary cars” in Cars Land. But we don’t care. Because designers thought about the psychology of the environments they create, we buy in and enjoy it, no matter whether we think about what went into that design or not.

Robert Niles is the editor of ThemeParkInsider.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThemePark.

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